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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tube · date · foot · net · sharp · land · root · mark

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. land — ground
  3. tube — a container
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. net — after costs
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mark — a grade
  9. root — of a word
  10. net — in sport
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. land — to come down
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. root — the cause
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. land — a country
  19. foot — a measure
  20. tube — the underground
  21. mark — a trace
  22. root — of a plant
  23. sharp — clever
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com